Thursday, February 02, 2012

Groundhog’s Day

132 comments:

Dozens of Palestinians threw shoes, sticks and stones at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's convoy as it crossed into the Gaza Strip on Thursday, protesting against what they saw as a slight against Palestinians jailed in Israel.

No one was injured during the hostile welcome and the vehicles, which entered the Hamas-ruled territory from southern Israel through the Erez crossing, pushed through the crowd and sped away.

Syrian government forces have killed at least 33 people in a rebel town near the Lebanese border in the last few days in an attack to dislodge army defectors and insurgents, activists and residents of a nearby town said Sunday.

2 Texas missionaries found slain in north MexicoBy CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN and KATHERINE CORCORAN

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A missionary couple from Texas were slain in their home outside the violence-plagued northern industrial city of Monterrey, the U.S. Embassy and their family said WednesdayThe embassy identified the couple as John and Wanda Casias.Valerie Alirez, the eldest child of John Casias, told The Associated Press from her home in Greeley, Colorado, that one of her brothers found her father and stepmother Tuesday dead in their home in Santiago, Nuevo Leon.The family was originally from Amarillo, Texas, but relatives said John and Wanda Casias moved to Mexico in the late 1970s or early 1980s and made it their home.

Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv KochaviIran has completed the development of a nuclear weapon and awaits nothing more than a sign from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to start assembling its first nuclear bomb, said Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi on Thursday, February 2. Assembling a bomb would take up to a year, Kochavi estimated. With 100 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent grade and another 4 tons of uranium enriched to 3.5 percent already in stock, Iran would need another two years to make four nuclear bombs.Therefore, by the end of 2012 or early 2013 Iran may have a single nuclear bomb, but by 2015 the figure would jump to four or five.The officer was essentially amplifying the words of his predecessor, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, who said on Jan. 26 that as long ago as 2007 or 2008, Iran had already passed the point of no return in developing nuclear weapons. Kochavi agreed with him that none of the sanctions imposed thus far had persuaded Iran to slow down, least of all shut down, its drive for a nuclear weapon.His comments coincided with the findings published Thursday by the Enterprise Institute, an American think tank, that Iran would be able to manufacture a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb as soon as August of this year, just seven months from now.Also Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon disclosed that the big blast at the Iranian missile base near Tehran last November blew up a new missile system with a range of 10,000 kilometers, capable of targeting the United States.

Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv KochaviIran has completed the development of a nuclear weapon and awaits nothing more than a sign from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to start assembling its first nuclear bomb, said Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi on Thursday, February 2.

The Israeli parliament has called for an investigation into the reason behind the failure of Israeli Intelligence services in predicting the Egyptian uprising in advance.

They can predict when Iranians working deep underground will assemble a warshot to the nearest month, but can't even see what the "Arab Street" is doing in Cairo.

The spineless slept pretty well when the Soviets had 50,000 nuclear weapons. As a matter of fact, the USAF had a nice little PR slogan: “Sleep tight tonight, your air force is awake.”Israel’s nuclear monopoly will end because Israel has a nuclear monopoly. It is the daily security incentive for Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to have the weapon.

Attack Iran and you could possibly ignite Islamic solidarity and have Iran procuring weapons from Pakistan. You really believe an Israeli Pearl Harbor attack on Iran will bring long term security to Israel? The Iranians will be in the streets cheering on the Israelis, or will you have 90,000,000 people screaming for revenge?

The spineless slept pretty well when the Soviets had 50,000 nuclear weapons. As a matter of fact, the USAF had a nice little PR slogan: “Sleep tight tonight, your air force is awake.”Israel’s nuclear monopoly will end because Israel has a nuclear monopoly. It is the daily security incentive for Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to have the weapon.

But you assume that Iran is rational.

As for Israel's monopoly?

It will not be Israel scrambling to build new nukes, it will be the Arabs.

Attack Iran and you could possibly ignite Islamic solidarity and have Iran procuring weapons from Pakistan. You really believe an Israeli Pearl Harbor attack on Iran will bring long term security to Israel? The Iranians will be in the streets cheering on the Israelis, or will you have 90,000,000 people screaming for revenge?

You are making assumptions that are not in evidence,

My "battleplan" for Iran has never been released.

My point was that Iran was near completion of a nuke and missile combo that can reach the USA, Europe and other points.

Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorceryIranian power struggle between president and supreme leader sees arrests and claims of undue influence of chief of staffSaeed Kamali Dehghanguardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 May 2011 14.23 EDT

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who is described as 'the actual president of Iran' by allies of the country's supreme leader.Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

I love these ignorant fools that know nothing of what they speak projecting American POV on Iranian Jihadists.

Topics: Understanding IslamKhomeini sent Iranian children, some as young as twelve years old, to the front lines. There, they marched in formation across minefields toward the enemy, clearing a path with their bodies.Should the West be concerned about Islamofascists - such as those in Iran, developing nuclear weapons?Here's an example of how those people think, you be the judge:

Ahmadinejad's demons. From the New Republic, describes how the Khomeini regime imported 500,000 plastic keys from Taiwan to give to children who were to be sent into Iraqi minefields. The children were told that the keys would "open the gates of Paradise" for them.

The fact is that some in Iran's leadership think God is involved in politics.

That is a sign of irrationality?

John F Kennedy invoked God in his inaugural address, telling the people that God is the source of political rights in the United States. Was JFK irrational?

For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

What irrational military actions have the Iranians taken, in the past 2,000 years?

The Israeli sent a child to do battle against the Philistines. Was that rational?

The Israeli military killed hundreds of their own infants in an effort to maintain the power of their King. Was that rational?

Whether Islam is divided or multifaceted is a detail without importance or substance.

The country of Iran was an ally of the US for decades. A much more reliable ally than the Saudis have been. As evidenced by who financed the attacks of 9/11/01.

The US should do nothing that would cause the long term alienation of the Iranian people from the interests of the United States. The current regime will be gone in the course of time but the people will long remain.

Even during the Embassy hostage crisis the Iranians did not kill Americans. They behaved in a rational manner. Releasing the hostages when the regime in the US changed.

If I can come I'll play the priest and throw a Nuptial Mass for you both. It is highly recommended for a marriage when both parties are Catholic. It is allowed if at least one of the parties is Catholic.

I can't recall if you ever said anything about Fely's religious persuasion.

Herod is referred to as Great by:Wikipedia @: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great

He is referred to as Great by:Simcha Jacobovici who is a Jewish archaeologist and historian.During most of 2005 I was shooting my archaeology series The Naked Archaeologist ... his ministry, John was beheaded as a troublemaker by Herod the Great.

"Jewish historian, born A.D. 37, at Jerusalem; died about 101. He belonged to a distinguished priestly family, whose paternal ancestors he himself traces back five generations; his mother's family claimed descent from the Machabeans:

In Antiquities of the Jews - Book XIV, Josephus tells the somewhat convoluted story of how Herod the Great managed to come to power in Judaea (Judea).

Masada National Park-רשות הטבע והגניםwww.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat...Masada, the ancient fortress built by King Herod the Great atop a lofty natural plateau overlooking the Dead Sea, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

Even the agency within the government of Israel that maintains the historic site of the edifice at Masada refers to Herod as Great.

The government of Israel considers Herod to be Great.

Who is this What is "Occupation" and on what authority does he tell us of Israel's ideologies, histories and policies? It is obvious that he does not speak for the State of Israel, if he denies that Herod, King of the Jews, was not Great.

Perhaps he is really a Muslim trying to discredit Israel and Judaism with his radical rants of hatred towards Islam in the name of Israel and Judaism.

Whether by omission or pure ignorance of the facts it is a lie regardless.

Wrong, rat.

To lie generally implies an attempt to deceive. Impossible to say what is the case here; ignorance of the facts could result in a misstatement that was not actually a lie. That's why we have the word mistake. Also, WiO's actual meaning though rather superfluous and gratuitous should have been rather clear to all.

This post is merely to clarify terms.

More importantly, on the subject at hand, who here really gives a flying fuck about what Herod is called except for you, WiO, or T? You have already put up five posts on the subject all pretty much saying the same thing. How many more will we get? Like WiO, you constantly beat the dead horse.

T with here tiresome Bible quotations, you with your selective criticisms of Israel, and WiO with his blatant apologistic take on all things Zionist, Israeli, or Jewish deserve each other.

Don't thank me WiO. You obviously missed the point of my last couple posts.

You, rat, and T act like children but of the three you are by far the worst. Why? Because you extend your rants outside your own little gang-of-three menage au trois and indict everyone at the bar who doesn't agree with you.

You call one blogger an apologist, yet you have been an apologist for Israel on this blog for at least as long as I have been here. People on both sides of the argument criticize the US government here, both the people in government and their policies. You have joined in that criticism. Yet, when it comes to Israel, I have never heard you say one negative thing, not about the country, not about the administration, not about the policies.

You blast T or Wasp or whatever the hell her name is now for posting under various screen names yet you do the exact same thing.

Wasp made her big revelation two weeks ago. Most here got on her about it initially but then we moved on. You continue to harangue her about it daily. You accuse others here of lies and distortions, of cutting and pasting and putting words in your mouth, yet when copies of your actual posts in their entirety are put up and you are asked to explain them, what do we get from you? Silence.

You accuse the bar of being cowards and pussies yet it is you that eventually fails to pursue your argument to the end. When pressed on an issue, you eventually reach that point when asked a question where you say. “It’s not worth my time.” As if that is a logical response when making an argument. Obfuscate? Look in the mirror.

I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to provide examples.

You proudly state your battle plan for Iran hasn’t been released yet. Of course not, you don’t have one. Rufus has indicated he is fine with the game plan being put forward by the Obama administration, the current sanctions protocol. You rant and scream but offer no alternatives of your own beyond sanctions. Yet you claim Rufus is “protecting’ Iran. Moron.

Then you say nuclear strikes on Iran’s underground facilities would be ok. You don’t seem to know from one day to another what the hell you think.

You rant on daily about the Iranian bomb, then offer witless suggestions about blowing up stones, inciting the Kurdish, and pushing for regime change in Iran. And it’s funny how it’s always the US that is spineless for not developing that new secret weapon specifically designed to kill a rock. With the brilliant scientists you claim Israel has, why isn’t it them you are calling pussies for not developing it?

And I noticed you didn’t say who would be doing that bombing of those Iranian underground facilities either. I haven’t noticed anyone on the blog saying Israel can’t do what she thinks she has to do for her own protection. Go encourage them to bomb Iran.

Your first response is to always attack any comment you perceive as a criticism of Israel, Zionism, or Jews. Within the last couple days, I posted a comment regarding Caroline Glick and her frustration with the many Jews who do not share her views on Zionism. You responded with a post saying I was wrong. Yet, if you had read the article, you would have noticed that starting with the last paragraph on the first page to the end of the article that was all she talked about.

In response to your post, not as any kind of gotcha trick but merely to set a baseline for further discussion, I asked you if you agree with Glick’s views on Zionism and here stance on where every Jew’s first allegiance lies. What I got from you was once again silence. You don’t even have the balls to openly state your own views on these issues yet you accuse those who do state their positions of being cowards. Look in the friggin mirror.

And I am not complaining about the personal attacks you launch. We all do that. I am complaining about the illogic associated with some of them and the hypocrisy involved with most. Daily, you come here like some homeless vagrant with Tourette’s yelling and screaming, whining about a bartender spot or not getting an HT, playing the victim card and hypocritically accusing everyone here of the very things you do.

You advised T to get professional help. I would advise you to do the same.

Secretary Panetta also said that no decision has been made about force levels in 2013. We hope that that is true.

There is no occasion to make any such decisions until the end of this fighting season or early in 2013 itself. When we have made the gains we can and must make, and when we have consolidated them to ensure that our efforts were not wasted and our security is not endangered—only then should we talk about drawing down more troops or changing their mission.

The Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe in North and West Africa, dominated the caravan trade through the Sahara Desert for thousands of years. Their entire way of life was disrupted, however, by the imposition of borders, natural desertification, urbanization and the rise of maritime trade.

...

In late August 2011, Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, a Tuareg rebel who led an uprising in Mali in 2007-2009 before fleeing to Libya, re-emerged in northern Mali. He conducted an interview via satellite phone Aug. 26 with Algerian newspaper Al Watan during which he vowed to renew the Tuareg rebellion.

...

The Tuaregs are a pastoralist, trans-state ethnicity that originated in North Africa. Estimated to number more than 1 million, the Tuaregs are most populous in Mali, Niger and Algeria, though they can also be found in Libya, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

There are more poor in the suburbs of Mexico City than there are people in Israel. Our political obsession with Israel is at best bizarre and at its worse dangerous to the long term interests of the United States. While we have ben bottled up with the George Bush legacy and obsession with the Middle East, China has been settling strings of economic colonies throughout the Americas.

This is an example:BUENOS AIRES — Few were surprised when Venezuela announced a deal with China last week to restore 1.4 million acres of unproductive farmland across the oil-rich but impoverished South American nation.

China increasingly is buying farmland and agricultural companies in South America to feed its ever-growing population, currently estimated to be 1.34 billion.

The most important aspect of China’s agricultural investment in Latin America is that “it is a part of the increasing physical footprint of the People’s Republic of China that is just beginning to occur,” said Evan Ellis, an assistant professor at National Defense University in Washington.

Mr. Ellis said that “with the Chinese becoming mine owners, petroleum-field operators, factory managers and dam builders in Latin America,” China’s farming operations there “will immerse the Chinese, with their very different culture, in one of the most politically charged phenomena in the region - the relationship between the Latin American people and their land.”

Central to China’s rising agricultural-industrial complex are soybeans from Brazil and Argentina, millions of tons of which the Chinese are importing to feed cows and pigs to meet a growing demand for meat.

Israel is unsustainable as a belligerent power in the Middle East. Any Israeli with a brain know that is so. Israel can only exist in the future as an integral working part of the area. No amount of missiles or walls or mossad hit operations will sustain a broken business model. Israel is not responsible for all the animosity that exists against it, but she has done a very poor job in establishing natural alliances instead of depending solely on the whimsy of feckless American politicians.

AIPAC and our "fools on the hill" are far more dangerous to the long term interests of Israel, Inc than the criticisms made on this blog.

quirk: Rufus has indicated he is fine with the game plan being put forward by the Obama administration, the current sanctions protocol. You rant and scream but offer no alternatives of your own beyond sanctions.

Israel is unsustainable as a belligerent power in the Middle East.--------------

Israel is surrounded by those seeking it's genocide. there is no working with those surrounding it.

deuce: Any Israeli with a brain know that is so. Israel can only exist in the future as an integral working part of the area.

it aint Israel rejecting the arabs right to live bucko...

Deuce: No amount of missiles or walls or mossad hit operations will sustain a broken business model.

Disarming means suicide and the Israeli people are not in the mood for mass extermination this week.

Deuce: Israel is not responsible for all the animosity that exists against it, but she has done a very poor job in establishing natural alliances instead of depending solely on the whimsy of feckless American politicians.

There are no natural alliances to be made with islamic nutjobs. And you are right America has shown to be a fair weather friend to Israel. That message many American allies are getting clearly these days...

Deuce: AIPAC and our "fools on the hill" are far more dangerous to the long term interests of Israel, Inc than the criticisms made on this blog.

True, but you do not actually KNOW what aipac does do you? You are really not interested in the truth but rather some nonsense printed in the anti-israel press.

After a financial crisis, a deep recession, and a stalled recovery, it should be no surprise that poverty in America is on the rise. This fall, the Census Bureau reported that a record 46 million Americans — 15% of the population — were living below the poverty line.

...

Equality is highly prized in liberal-democratic societies. Indeed, in America, we often use "equality" as a synonym for justice.

...

This distinction was made particularly clear in the writings of James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the six original justices of the Supreme Court. Wilson argued:

When we say, that all men are equal, we mean not to apply this equality to their virtues, their talents, their dispositions, or their acquirements. In all these respects, there is, and it is fit for the great purposes of society that there should be, great inequality among men.

You blast T or Wasp or whatever the hell her name is now for posting under various screen names yet you do the exact same thing.

Wio:

Nonsense.

I never pretended to be something i aint..

Evidently, your reading comprehension suffers also. On that particular post, I wasn't calling you out for blasting W on the 'big lie'. I was calling you out for your hypocrisy in blasting her for using different screen names, a practice you often indulge in.

The Philippine air force struck a militant camp on Jolo Island, killing 15 militants, including key leaders of militant groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Because the former often provides bases of operations for the latter, strikes against its camps will adversely affect JI.

...

On Feb. 2, two OV-10 Bronco light attack aircraft from the Philippine air force struck a militant camp on Jolo Island, a traditional haven for the Abu Sayyaf militants and their allies in the transnationalist, al Qaeda-linked militant group, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). About 15 militants were killed in the airstrike, including three key militant figures: Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, a senior JI leader; Umbra Jumdail, also known as Dr. Abu Pula, the overall leader of Abu Sayyaf; and Abdullah Ali, also known as Muawiyah, a Singaporean JI commander.

...

Many of these veterans have been arrested and killed, and training camps increasingly are being taken out. Most militant groups will suffer for want of training, supplies and coordination from regional or transnational networks.

Some here may have acted as apologists for Iran. Rufus wasn't one of them. And neither are most of the people here. If you in your warped conceit choose to list anyone that argues with you about the wisdom of ... well hell, we will never know exactly what you are arguing with us about because you are "keeping it close to the vest".

quirk: Rufus has indicated he is fine with the game plan being put forward by the Obama administration, the current sanctions protocol. You rant and scream but offer no alternatives of your own beyond sanctions.

WiO:

Obama aint imposing the sanctions that he was autherized to do.

been three years, doing nothing...

real sanctions have teeth. Obama is letting the clock run out.

What's that got to do with Rufus? In your frustration, you reach out and slander anyone in sight. Rufus is "protecting" Iran? Get a grip.

Evidently, your reading comprehension suffers also. On that particular post, I wasn't calling you out for blasting W on the 'big lie'. I was calling you out for your hypocrisy in blasting her for using different screen names, a practice you often indulge in.

I trust that you will stand with your hands in your pockets as Israeli men, women and babies are blown to hamburger, including those American citizens living there get targeted as well.

In fact, I dont see you or any of the rest of the crew at the blog doing shit even if that shit is happening here.

Obviously, you are entitled to your opinion, but I think you are wrong.

I have stated here numerous times what I thought our actions should be if we are forced into a war of necessity driven by our critical national interests. You and I may differ on what amounts to our critical national interests and at which point an enemy has crossed the 'red line' but that's a point for a discussion not a point for throwing around ad hominem attacks. Yet you say "Why waste the time". Instead, you hurl insults.

You worry about Israel but you refuse to tell us what you think we should do. You hold it close to the vest. Easy to start an argument that way, hard to start a discussion.

Russia's political landscape has been relatively calm and consolidated for the past decade under former President and current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. However, recent months have seen instability rise sharply, with a purge in the government, a shift in parliamentary election results and large protests in the streets.

...

The first shift in Russia's political landscape occurred because Putin's complex network of clans inside the Kremlin has utterly collapsed. When he came to power, Putin understood that he needed to set up a group of powerful loyalists to help with the aggressive consolidation needed to rebuild a strong Russia while planning a strategy for the future that involved many more liberal policies -- two seemingly contradictory goals.

...

However, these crises are creating problems of perception for Putin and Russia, and the longer Putin takes to resolve these crises, the weaker he will appear to the rest of the world. Putin needs to be seen as a strong and stable leader in order to effectively reorganize his loyalists and manage the strengthening anti-Kremlin groups.

That's the Rat?Guess he was to polite to mention the retaliation that befell the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin — gunned down in Tel Aviv by a Jewish assassin.

He added, “You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table.”

As the editor of a reputable Jewish newspaper, Adler should have known better than to make such a reckless and provocative suggestion. And that’s what is so scary about this incident. He apparently thought nothing wrong with it.

But there was something very wrong. People are influenced by what they hear and read in the media, by what their religious leaders or any figures of authority in their eyes might say.

Think no one will take a shot at President Obama because of a newspaper editorial?

Well, we hope not, anyway, but we can’t help but remember what happened to the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin — gunned down in Tel Aviv by a Jewish assassin who believed he was religiously justified to take his life — something some far-right rabbis have even said....

All sabre rattling, my friends. I know quite a few Persians. They all love and embrace Western culture, and do not agree with the few idiots that threaten. If the world news media would quit covering the sound bites coming from Iran, the so called problem would not exist., says them.

Many people view criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. However, Israel is a form of nationalism rather than being Judaism.

This became more clear this month. On Jan. 13 in the Atlanta Jewish Times, an article appeared in which Andrew B. Adler, owner and publisher, suggested that Israel consider assassinating U.S. President Barack Obama and using Israel’s Mossad to do it. The article was serious and reflected a belief that Obama had not done enough to support Israel.

This represents a misguided form of passionate nationalism, ignoring Jewish values but hiding behind Judaism. In some nations, Adler could be prosecuted for inciting violence and could be sentenced to jail.

It does represent someone that has lost track of where their loyalties should lie.

We need to keep in mind that Obama has supported the same position on Israel that has been supported by every president since Lyndon B. Johnson.

Israel still receives $6 billion annually in aid from the United States. Peace and justice should be the objective rather than a narrow nationalism that encourages violence.

It at times seems that the Muslim path to enlightenment seems to be the most pressing issue on earth.

But in an odd way.

Western liberals don't give a crap about human rights in Islam, unless the west is somehow violating those rights. The American left does not take to the street to support the Muslim left, for obvious reasons.

...You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table.

I can only hope that you are as shocked hearing this now as I was when I first read it. Needless to say, in the aftermath of publishing such an offensive and horrifying statement, Mr. Adler has resigned in disgrace and is now being investigated by the Secret Service. In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Bo, we read that Pharaoh continued to harden his heart against the Jewish people – Mr. Adler has clearly hardened his heart against reason and civility.

When Jews adopted the model of nationalism which spread through Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was only a matter of time until this type of insanity came to be acceptable.

I would frame it like this, as Jewish communities simultaneously assimilated to secular society and adopted nationalism, nationalism began to replace Judaism.

Following 1967, when Zionism became accepted on a wide scale throughout the Jewish community, not only did Zionism become like a religion in the Jewish people, but the State of Israel became our Third Temple.

Now, it is certainly true that I would hope and imagine that a majority of Jews in America would never proscribe to such obscene thinking and poor judgement as Mr. Adler displayed, but the truth of the matter is that there are many American voters who select their candidates based on their allegiance to Israel. This is not only an anathema to the democratic process; it is dangerous to the very fabric of American democracy.And this, in my opinion, is but one part of the dangers of nationalism and why it is so important that the Jewish people, to borrow the language of the Alter Rebbe, bind and join our hearts to the Torah rather than binding and joining our hearts to a nationalist ideology that can sometimes be in opposition to basic Jewish values.

By no means am I advocating abandoning Israel. By no means am I advocating severing our relations with the Israeli people. Rather, I think it would serve every Jew in the world to reflect on the natural progression of nationalist movements throughout history – I can say very firmly that every single nationalist movement of which I am familiar either started out as a militaristic movement or evolved into one; and Zionism, it pains me to say, is no exception.

One of the issues causing -- and prolonging -- Russia's current political instability is the complete breakdown of the Kremlin's power clans.

...

The siloviki clan primarily consists of security hawks and former operatives with the KGB (now known as the Federal Security Service, or FSB) -- like Putin. The siloviki primarily fall under the control of Sechin, who played a major role in centralizing the Russian economy and ousting foreign influence over the past decade.

...

Although the clans' conflict has been contained over the last decade, the struggle to maintain a balance between them has always been an issue. Though the siloviki's policies for Russia mostly dominated the 2000s, it was a civiliki that Putin chose to succeed him as president in 2008 in an attempt to maintain the balance.

Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim: US Policy Is the Number One Threat to the Gulf States; 'Is Now Embracing' the Muslim Brotherhood, and 'Is No Longer An Ally'.Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim: 'U.S.Policy Is the No. 1 Security Threat' to the Gulf States; America Has 'Realized the Dreams Of Iran' in Iraq, 'Is Now Embracing' the Muslim Brotherhood, and 'Is No Longer An Ally'.

Dahi Khalfan Tamim: "Allow me to avoid diplomatic language. I am not a diplomat. I am a security official, and I will talk about the domestic and foreign security threats. My words might be embarrassing to people home and abroad, but I have come to this conference in order to say what I feel as a security official. With no further ado, I will try to present to you 38 different threats to the security of the Gulf. [...]

"Let me begin with threat number one. In my opinion, U.S. policy in the region is the number one security threat. Our American friends might not like this, but experience has taught us that the Americans do not have friends. On the contrary, they are quick to wash their hands of their friends.

"Therefore, U.S. policy in the Gulf constitutes a threat, because they have ulterior motives: to overthrow the regimes. In the past, they used to talk about imposing democracy, but when they failed in their efforts to impose it on Iraq and Afghanistan, they took a new tack – to export the revolution. They adopted the path and ideology of Khomeini. They embraced the same idea, and began to export the revolution.

"It is not me who says this, but American writers and thinkers say so themselves. They say: We are exporting the revolution to the Arab world. If their aim is indeed to export the revolution, they subscribe to the same mentality as Khomeini."

"Bringing new regimes to power is in keeping with the American doctrine regarding the transition of power. It began in Tunisia, was exported to Egypt, and from there to Libya, to Yemen, and now to Syria – and who will be next? That is the reality of things."..."U.S. policy is based upon the realization of interests, not upon the realization of rights. They say: We want the people to obtain their rights. No my brothers. If that is indeed the case, [they should demand] the rights of the Arab Palestinian people, which are violated more than the rights of any other people. So how come the U.S. does not take action, and recognize the right of the Palestinian people to establish a state? The U.S. has declared its rejection of a state for the Palestinian people. When the U.S. says it has good intentions towards the peoples, it is not speaking the truth, I am sad to say."

– I can say very firmly that every single nationalist movement of which I am familiar either started out as a militaristic movement or evolved into one; and Zionism, it pains me to say, is no exception.

Magnificent Ronald and the Founding Fathers of al Qaeda

“These gentlemen are the moral equivalents of America’s founding fathers.” — Ronald Reagan while introducing the Mujahideen leaders to media on the White house lawns (1985). During Reagan’s 8 years in power, the CIA secretly sent billions of dollars of military aid to the mujahedeen in Afghanistan in a US-supported jihad against the Soviet Union. We repeated the insanity with ISIS against Syria.